Japanese consumers don’t have to hear about the increasing popularity of the Shine Muscat through the grapevine, but can see it in the clusters of yellow-green grapes packing produce sections.

The Kyoho black-purple table grape variety has long ruled the domestic market, even earning the moniker “king of grapes.”

But it is losing its throne to the Shine Muscat, a relatively new seedless grape with edible skin. 

The Shine Muscat is poised to soon surpass the Kyoho in terms of acreage under cultivation.

The Shine Muscat’s rise in status as the most sought-after grape was seen at a supermarket in Tokyo’s Koto Ward on a recent day.

Many packs of the variety took up much of the fruit corner of the produce section at the supermarket.

“The Shine Muscat is the No. 1 seller as they have edible skin, crispy texture and a sweet taste,” said the store manager. “People like it because they can eat the berries like a snack.”

Noting the variety’s conspicuous presence, a 55-year-old homemaker who visited the store, said, “My image color of grapes is shifting to yellow green from purple.”

Ninety percent of grapes grown in Japan are table grape cultivars, according to the farm ministry. There are more than 60 varieties in this category.

The Kyoho, which was first developed in 1942, has long been the mainstream variety because of its rich flavor and large berries.

The Shine Muscat was registered in 2006 after it was developed by a government research institute.

According to statistics in 2021, the latest available data from the ministry, production area for the Shine Muscat was 2,346 hectares, nearly double from 2016.

In contrast, the figure for the Kyoho came to 2,528 hectares, down by almost 40 percent from 2016.

In 2016, the Kyoho was cultivated in 3,000 hectares more than the Shine Muscat.

But the disparity between the two was only 200 hectares five years later.

Whereas production area for the Shine Muscat expanded by 100-200 hectares annually in recent years, that for the Kyoho shrunk by 100-600 hectares each year.

Officials in the table grape industry predict that the former will likely capture the No. 1 spot when data for 2022 is compiled.

In fact, figures collected by the Japan Fruit Growers Cooperation Association, or Nichienren, showed that in 2022, areas under cultivation for the Shine Muscat totaled 1,740 hectares in 14 main producing prefectures, including the two leaders of Nagano and Yamanashi.

The figure for the Kyoho was 1,503 hectares in the 14 prefectures.

Nichienren added that its member grape farmers devoted more land to cultivating the Shine Muscat in 2023 and 2024, switching from dark purple and red grapes.

The Shine Muscat is attractive for farmers to grow in many aspects.

For one, it can fetch a price substantially higher than the Kyoho.

The wholesale price for the Shine Muscat averaged 2,742 yen ($18) per kilogram between January and August at Tokyo’s Central Wholesale Market, compared with the Kyoho’s 1,596 yen.

And the Shine Muscat is relatively easier to cultivate.

Farmers do not need to toil in managing the color development of its berries, unlike the Kyoho.

Kyoho berries change in hues from yellow green to dark purple, but ensuring a timely and uniform color is difficult due to fluctuations in temperatures and the amount of berries.

The Shine Muscat is also relatively resistant to diseases and cracking and splitting of the fruit are infrequent. Increasing the sweetness and boosting yields are not difficult.

The result is leading grape producers that have long relied on the Kyoho have begun replacing it with the Shine Muscat.

One example is Japan Agriculture Cooperative Nakano in Nagano Prefecture.

Nagano Prefecture is the second largest producer of grapes in terms of yield, after Yamanashi Prefecture.

As the price for the Kyoho decreased as it declined in popularity, alarmed agricultural officials in Nakano launched a project in 2009 to become a main producer of the Shine Muscat.

In 2011, sales from all grapes cultivated in Nakano were nearly halved to 2.1 billion yen from its peak time as a result of the Kyoho’s sharp drop in prices.

A shift to the Shine Muscat is under way.

The variety represented 60 percent of all land under cultivation for all kinds of grapes in the city in 2023.

The same year, sales of grapes rebounded to about 7.1 billion yen, around three-fold of the time when local grape farmers were struggling.

To cash in on the lucrative aspect of the Shine Muscat, vine growers along with apple and other fruit growers are entering the fray, according to local agricultural officials.

JA Nakano now sets a sales target of 10 billion yen.

“We are seeing an entry of 10 new vine growers each year,” said an official with JA Nakano. “We have completely overcome the years of depths and grape farmers are getting excited.”